The Ta’ Qali Action Plan partial review “does not consider the national and public interest”, the Kamra tal-Periti [Chamber of Architects] contended yesterday in its written submissions to the Planning Authority’s last September.

The review concerns an area of approximately 60,000 square metres located adjacent to the Embassy of the United States, and proposes to designate such land as a Commercial Area, with an overall building height of 17.5 metres.

The Kamra yesterday noted how, “Across the developed world, out-of-town commercial centres are largely being abandoned in favour of rehabilitated inner-city or urban facilities.

“These reinforce the desirability of city living and cut down on the vehicular traffic and the attendant pollution and traffic congestion that are inevitably caused by large regional commercial developments located outside the urban area.”

The Kamra further noted that “One of the justifications presented in favour of the proposals is that the site has outlived its usefulness in the industrial context. Whilst recognising that it would, perhaps, be unrealistic to hope for the area to be returned to its undeveloped state, it is pointed out that the general area is earmarked as a Rural Area and the Ta’ Qali National Recreation Centre, which includes no commercial hubs but only enterprise hubs (i.e. the existing industrial areas).

“It is therefore felt that the area should be re-developed into uses that are complementary to the sports facilities around the National Stadium, and to the adjacent Family Park. The emphasis on commercial development is therefore questioned in this regard, as is the extent to which the public interest and that of the environment in general were considered.”

The proposed revision is premature and lacking in proper studies that would normally arise in a serious and well-considered approach, the Kamra charged yesterday. 

It pointed out that “allowing intensification is not the solution to the Authority’s claim that the existing industrial use is redundant, and that the proposals appear to be directed more towards appeasing a major private landowner and facilitating their interests than achieving any planning gains or safeguarding the national interest and that of the public at large”.

The Planning Authority had published the proposals, following guidance from government, with the primary scope of designating the site in question, characterized by mixed uses, as a quality commercial destination through sustainable architectural and urban design with adequate infrastructure provision.

The new Ta’ Qali Commercial area, according to the PA, will purposefully mitigate against the negative impact that the current uses are having on the character of the surrounding area, particularly the formal and informal recreational area.

The proposed policy stipulates that any new development on the perimeter of the site area facing the ODZ shall have a facade height of not more than eight metres, while development on the perimeter of the site facing the American embassy and the carpark shall have a facade height of not more than 11 metres.

The overall height for the whole site is to be subject to a Visual Impact Assessment on views to and from the Mdina promontory, the Area of High Landscape Value and the embassy site. Mitigation measures identified in this assessment may require limitations on the allowable heights of buildings.

A planning gain contribution of €25 per square metre of new gross developable floor space (GDF) permitted within the site is also being proposed. The funds generated from this planning gain will be directed towards the upgrading of recreational facilities and other environmental initiatives within the Ta’ Qali National Park.